Sarah Walker, IOC Athletes’ Commission member and Chair of the Steering Committee for the Athlete Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, explains how you can become a part of an exciting, athlete-driven process.

Dear Athletes,

Developed by athletes, for athletes, the Athlete Charter of Rights and Responsibilities is an initiative that is being coordinated by the IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC) on behalf of athletes across Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic sports, and which I, and our commissions, believe can have a powerful and far-reaching impact for us all.

In November, at the 8th International Athletes’ Forum, we discussed this project, which underscores the continued commitment to strengthen support to athletes. We aim to address your rights as athletes and to ensure that that your voices are heard and represented.

Athletes owning the processI was delighted to be appointed as Chair of the Athlete Charter’s Steering Committee, which is made up of 20 athlete representatives from all of the five Continental Associations, 10 International Federations, the International Paralympic Committee, World Olympians Association and three IOC AC members.

Containing a balance and diversity in gender, sports and regions, our Steering Committee held a productive first meeting during the Forum, when we discussed topics that could be included in the Athlete Charter. They are: communication, governance, marketing, integrity and clean sports, sports competition, and career transition and well-being.

After the meeting, we also obtained valuable feedback from the global network of athletes’ representatives on these issues – and we are seeking your input, too.

Have your sayWhat issues are most important to you, or do you want to see addressed in the Athlete Charter? And what are the things that we should hold ourselves accountable to, as athletes?

To join the conversation, click here and fill out the short form. In due course, we’ll be sending you a questionnaire to capture your opinions and ideas. We want to draft an Athlete Charter that expresses and protects your needs, so your participation must be at the heart of this process.

You can find out more at the Athlete365 Space in PyeongChang, where I and the other Commission members will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the development of the Athlete Charter. Or you can get in touch with us any time via athlete365@olympic.org.

We have to be ‘All In’ to give this the best possible chance of working, so I encourage you to share this information on social media, and invite your fellow athletes to join the conversation. I’m excited to see what we can come up with together.